| Author | Post |
|---|
GSBill
Member
|
Posted: Fri Aug 21st, 2009 03:43 pm |
|
DMACIII wrote:
Yes I just moved to TOQC and am not happy about my sewage charge! I called and asked if I could pay to have a serperate meter put on for my pool and sprinklers, they will not allow that! So even if I am out of town for the month, I have to pay a flate rate for sewer, even if I do not use any sewer! That is BS. Last month my sewer bill was higher than my water portion.. they told me there is nothing they can do.
While I hope in the future they will allow us to add seperate meters.. I guess it is still better than the Johnson Utilities bill I had to pay for the last 6 years!
Its an issue for folks with a pool, spa and a lot of irrigated landscape. They are all unfairly charged inflated sewer charges. Something else thats odd with water charges. Usually the more of something you buy, the cheaper it is..not water..use more...pay higher rates.
Maybe time to request the financials on the water company and see just how self sustaining they are. J Kross mentioned that SRP was supposed to be non profit yet had millions in...well ...profit. We were told the water company would be self sustaining..basically non profit. Financial records would tell us if thats true.
Quote in part....
Mayor Sanders has written a letter of concern which we should have posted on our website by now. We have made reminded SRP, by the way, that their municipal/non-profit status still resulted in a $400M profit two years ago and over $200M profit last year.
Thanks and hope all is well.
John Kross | Town Manager | Town of Queen Creek | phone: 480-358-3000 | fax: 480-358-3909 | 22350 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85242 |
|
DMACIII
Member
| Joined: | Thu Aug 20th, 2009 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 21st, 2009 03:36 am |
|
Yes I just moved to TOQC and am not happy about my sewage charge! I called and asked if I could pay to have a serperate meter put on for my pool and sprinklers, they will not allow that! So even if I am out of town for the month, I have to pay a flate rate for sewer, even if I do not use any sewer! That is BS. Last month my sewer bill was higher than my water portion.. they told me there is nothing they can do.
While I hope in the future they will allow us to add seperate meters.. I guess it is still better than the Johnson Utilities bill I had to pay for the last 6 years!
|
bigwavedave
Member
| Joined: | Tue May 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 699 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 19th, 2009 03:38 am |
|
GSBill wrote: bigwavedave wrote:
Negative Bill. Sewer and trash pickup are on a seperate bill from another entity.
Like the song by Don Henley (New York Minute) the line "The wolf is always at the door", the wolf in this case is the government.
And as (CF will appreciate this) Ronald Regan said, "Government isn't the solution, Government is the problem". (forgive me if the quote isn't exact)
Sewer charge $19.11, trash (includes Green can because I have to have somewhere to put the grass clippings) $29.39 , taxes and environmental fees $2.40 for a grand total of $ 110.61. Welcome to my world!!!
I like your sewer rate! Not your water rates. Is that trash charge per month? I pay around 45 bucks per quarter for 2 pick ups per week. I guess we'll all be paying the same sooner or later and it wont be the lesser rates. Trash charge is per month. I do get a trash, recycle and green can pickup with that fee though. Still is a hefty monthly charge IMO.
|
CrimeFighter
Member
| Joined: | Sat Feb 10th, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1670 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 19th, 2009 02:48 am |
|
| $37 million? Let's see...$17M for a horse park that none of us use, $37M for a water company that costs residents more per month that it did when it was private. Based on this stellar record of monumental failures, why shouldn't we trust that this town will manage itself into bankruptcy?
|
2 cents
Member
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 907 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 19th, 2009 12:00 am |
|
History of Queen Creek Water
Twenty years ago, Queen Creek was just another dot on the Arizona map. Few people knew the town even existed, and even fewer knew that it had a water company. The truth is, the water company existed well before then. 1954 to be exact.
In 1954, Leo Ellsworth, a prominent farmer in Queen Creek, founded the Queen Creek Water Company. The term "company" isn't quite accurate when describing the state of Queen Creek Water at the time. It would probably best be described as the Queen Creek Water "Agreement." Leo supplied water to 50 or so of the surrounding workers, and they agreed to pay him for the water they used.
Taylor Gardner came to Queen Creek soon after on a job offer from Leo Ellsworth. Taylor would manage the water company and the farmland here in Arizona while Leo was away developing farms in other states like Florida and Georgia. Taylor started running Queen Creek Water in 1954, and a Gardner ran the company for another 54 years.
By 1972, Taylor had acquired 400-500 acres of land near Hunt Highway in Queen Creek and Leo Ellsworth had his eye on Taylor's land. Land in Queen Creek didn't hold much value then, and Taylor saw more value with the water in the wells that Leo owned than with the 400-500 acres of land that he owned. So, they swapped. With a handshake and a gentleman's agreement, Leo had his land and Taylor Gardner was the proud, new owner of Queen Creek Water.
Taylor Gardner incorporated Queen Creek Water in 1974. The values of hard work and quality service kept him running the business on his own for many years. Being wrapped up in the day to day duties of keeping the water flowing to his customers, Taylor never had a chance to map out the wells and waterlines that were in place at the time. He kept all of the information in his memory, where it stayed until he died with a shovel in his hand, digging out a meter box in 1985.
Paul Gardner, grandson to Taylor Gardner, grew up following in his grandfather's footsteps. He would often tag-along with his grandfather as he checked wells and meters, making sure everything was running as it should.
Paul grew up learning the intricacies of Queen Creek Water. He soon had his very own map of the waterlines and wells in his head, just as his grandfather did. It was only natural that in 1985 when his grandfather died, Paul was chosen to execute the estate and sell the water company to a group of investors. It was then that Paul got fully wrapped up in the company.
Since there had been no maps drawn up, and no plans laid out for future mainlines and wells, the investors that bought the company had nothing to work with. The information existed, but it was all stored in Paul's head. That is when Paul became President of the Queen Creek Water Company, and the future of Queen Creek Water was laid out.
When Paul became President in 1985, Queen Creek Water Company serviced 450 customers. Today, the water company serves the water needs of almost 8,500 customers, with more than 50 new customers being added monthly. It was rare for the company to deliver over 7 million gallons in one month to its customers in the early 90's. Now, however, 7 million gallons per day is the norm.
Queen Creek Water Company has come a long way since its inception in 1954. The Town of Queen Creek officially finalized the purchase of the Queen Creek Water Company in April 2008. The total cost of acquisition came to just under $37 million and included bringing on 30 water company employees as Town staff.
With the water utility under Town ownership, Queen Creek can continue to implement its General Plan, which guides development in the community. It is important for the Town to manage this critical resource within the Town limits so the General Plan can be fully implemented.
Last updated: 10/8/2008 1:37:54 PM
This is from the QC website.
|
GSBill
Member
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18th, 2009 09:28 pm |
|
bigwavedave wrote:
Negative Bill. Sewer and trash pickup are on a seperate bill from another entity.
Like the song by Don Henley (New York Minute) the line "The wolf is always at the door", the wolf in this case is the government.
And as (CF will appreciate this) Ronald Regan said, "Government isn't the solution, Government is the problem". (forgive me if the quote isn't exact)
Sewer charge $19.11, trash (includes Green can because I have to have somewhere to put the grass clippings) $29.39 , taxes and environmental fees $2.40 for a grand total of $ 110.61. Welcome to my world!!!
I like your sewer rate! Not your water rates. Is that trash charge per month? I pay around 45 bucks per quarter for 2 pick ups per week. I guess we'll all be paying the same sooner or later and it wont be the lesser rates.
|
qclars
Member
| Joined: | Fri Mar 31st, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 153 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18th, 2009 08:46 pm |
|
I don't remember how much the TOQC paid for the water company. But if the prior owner made 2 million a year, TOQC shouldn't have to raise rates to pay for the purchase. However, whenever government gets involved, the cost goes up.
Oh, boy! Bring on the town garbage collection. And soon to follow, our very own police force.
|
bigwavedave
Member
| Joined: | Tue May 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 699 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18th, 2009 04:35 pm |
|
Negative Bill. Sewer and trash pickup are on a seperate bill from another entity.
Like the song by Don Henley (New York Minute) the line "The wolf is always at the door", the wolf in this case is the government.
And as (CF will appreciate this) Ronald Regan said, "Government isn't the solution, Government is the problem". (forgive me if the quote isn't exact)
Sewer charge $19.11, trash (includes Green can because I have to have somewhere to put the grass clippings) $29.39 , taxes and environmental fees $2.40 for a grand total of $ 110.61. Welcome to my world!!!
|
GSBill
Member
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18th, 2009 04:07 pm |
|
bigwavedave wrote:
I would say I feel for you but the fact is I would love to pay "ONLY" $1.65 per thousand gallons of use. My home is served by the Arizona Water Company and my water for this month came to $2.96 per thousand gallons. Tack on the $10.27 "arsenic surcharge", $.10 "water usage tax" and the $4.57 "taxes" for a grand total of $60.11 on a usage of 15,300 gallons. To me though, it is a small price to pay for keeping 3000 square feet of grass looking good!
At least you are not being ripped off by the "Other" utility companies!
Does that include a sewer charge? I used 12,000 gallons and my last bill was $68.16. 32 bucks was the sewer fee. There is another problem(ripoff). Sewer fees are based on usage. A lot of my water never goes down the sewer. I have a pool, hot tub and a lot of landscape. I, like everyone else is charged sewer rates based on water usage that never goes down the pipe.
The purpose of the sale was to protect QC water users from being exploited by a private out of town purchaser of the water company. Looks like the wolf was dressed like a hen all along. At the time of the sale QC Water was making over 2 million per year in profits. The owner told me that personally.
Our elected officials seem to think the tax payer is an endless supply of revenue for the purpose of playing ..."look we're in charge". Keep taxing and raising the cost to live and all that sought after sales tax revenue will slowly disappear...folks just dont have any money left.
Now quick...go chase down some developer impact fees!
|
DavidB
Guest
| Joined: | |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18th, 2009 03:58 pm |
|
GSBill wrote: 
LOL
|
bigwavedave
Member
| Joined: | Tue May 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 699 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18th, 2009 03:41 pm |
|
I would say I feel for you but the fact is I would love to pay "ONLY" $1.65 per thousand gallons of use. My home is served by the Arizona Water Company and my water for this month came to $2.96 per thousand gallons. Tack on the $10.27 "arsenic surcharge", $.10 "water usage tax" and the $4.57 "taxes" for a grand total of $60.11 on a usage of 15,300 gallons. To me though, it is a small price to pay for keeping 3000 square feet of grass looking good!
At least you are not being ripped off by the "Other" utility companies!
|
GSBill
Member
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18th, 2009 03:07 pm |
|
|
CrimeFighter
Member
| Joined: | Sat Feb 10th, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1670 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 17th, 2009 04:09 am |
|
Q.C. will see another water rate hike
Amanda Keim, Tribune
June 16, 2009 - 4:30PM
Digg| Save| License| Print| E-mail|   
Queen Creek's water rates will rise July 1. The hike is the second of three yearly hikes the Town Council approved last year to help pay for acquiring the Queen Creek Water Company, raise money to improve the system and keep rates up-to-date, said department director Paul Gardner.
For residential customers, rates will go from $1.50 to $1.65 per 1,000 gallons up to 10,000 gallons each month, Gardner said. That equates to a $29 bill for 10,000 gallons rising to $31.90.
Rates are higher once a residential customer use more than 10,000 gallons. Prices will go from $2 to $2.20 per 1,000 gallons up to 20,000 gallons, then from $2.50 to $2.75 per 1,000 gallons above 20,000 gallons.
Commercial rates are also rising. Customers who use up to 20,000 gallons will see bills rise from $49 to $53.90.
Queen Creek's Town Council approved the rate changes last April, around the same time it approved buying the water company, said Gardner, who had been the company's owner.
At that time, a consultant recommended raising the water rates for the first time since 1991. They had been $1.30 per 1,000 gallons up to 10,000 gallons, Gardner said.
That's also when Queen Creek went from a two-tier to a three-tier rate system. Customers pay more per gallon once they hit the 20,000 gallons and 30,000 gallon mark to encourage conservation.
Gardner said it's hard to estimate exactly how much additional revenue the rate hike will bring. Water usage is down this year compared with last year, which Gardner believes is a combination of the three-tiered system and the economic downturn.
"People are really starting to look now where they're spending their income," Gardner said. "People are conserving water, so (the tier system) is working, and hopefully our cost of delivering that water is going down because we're not delivering as much."
A slowdown in housing starts also means the department probably won't have as many new customers next year as forecasts predicted, Gardner said.
With about 9,200 customers, the water department brought in an estimated $7 million in revenue this fiscal year, the first year of the rate hike. That's about $500,000 more than the previous year.
The first bill that reflects the new rates will arrive in customer mailboxes at the end of July.
|
Current time is 08:11 am | |
|
|
|